'Abusive Monster' Found Guilty of Fatally Beating His Girlfriend, a Mother of Four

A Georgia man will face the rest of his life behind bars for beating his girlfriend, a mother of four, to death.

Charles Franklin Cook, 42, was found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, and three counts of cruelty to children in the second degree, the Cobb County District Attorney’s office said in a statement on Feb. 5. He was handed a life sentence plus an additional 30 years of confinement.

Melinda Jolly, 44, was found dead in her home on Jan. 17, 2024, by a cousin performing a welfare check on her, the release states. Jolly’s boyfriend, Charles Franklin Cook, 42, had fled their residence and was arrested the following day in Okaloosa County, Florida. He was extradited back to Cobb County, Ga.

Atlanta News First, which reviewed the arrest warrant, reports that Jolly had “multiple blunt force trauma injuries to the head and neck.”

It was not the first time law enforcement had been called to the home, with police having previously been dispatched there “several times” on domestic violence calls, Cobb County Police Officer Aaron Wilson told WAGA.

In October 2023, Cook was charged with cruelty to children after allegedly picking up Jolly’s 4-year-old twins while drunk. He then reportedly left one of the twins in a hot car for 30 minutes while he was passed out, and officers had to break a window to retrieve the child, according to the Cobb County District Attorney’s release.

“This case is a tragic reminder of the importance of protecting those who are most vulnerable, and we hope today’s conviction brings some measure of closure to the family affected by this senseless loss,” District Attorney Sonya F. Allen said in the statement. 

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Jolly, a “kind” and “compassionate” animal lover who loved French music, had moved to Georgia in 2019 to be closer to family after her husband died of colorectal cancer, leaving her with four children to care for on her own, per a GoFundMe page posted by Jolly’s sisters.

The family said it had found out “recently” prior to her death that Jolly was in an abusive relationship, and relatives were regularly calling police to perform welfare checks on her. Her body was discovered by her cousin Jill on Jan. 17.

“The abusive monster took Melinda’s life,” the GoFundMe appeal reads. “Thank God he was taken into custody there before he could hurt anybody else.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.